We must get the fans back onside, says Bristol City boss Friday, June 14, 2013 SEAN O'Driscoll admits Bristol City face a tough task if they are to win over disillusioned fans following the club's relegation from the Championship. Two seasons of struggle culminated in relegation back to League One in April and City's head coach fears a majority of fans have lost faith with players, staff and directors after the Robins finished rock-bottom, ten points adrift of 23rd-placed Wolves. But the Midlander reckons there could be further pain before things improve and is appealing to the fan-base to be patient as he undertakes a fundamental change of culture within Ashton Gate. In a frank interview, O'Driscoll warned supporters not to expect an instant return to the Championship and appealed to them to understand the size of the task that faces him and his staff as they seek to banish the cycle of failure that has characterised recent seasons. He said: "If I'm being honest, the supporters have probably lost faith with the club, the staff and the team. I think I know what their verdict will be on the last three seasons. "We have to make sure we do our level-best to get them back onside at the start of next season. That means we have to deliver and not add to the problem by making empty promises. "I've inherited the same problems the last three or four managers have inherited, and it's not just a matter of bringing in two or three players and everything being okay. "I'm sure that is what Derek (McInnes) thought, what Keith (Millen) thought, what Steve (Coppell) thought and what Gary (Johnson) thought. But we have to look at things more deeply. "But you need time to do that properly and time is the one thing you don't get in this job. That is the conundrum facing us." Given that more than 80 per cent of O'Driscoll's budget will be taken up by 14 players who are still under contract, the prospects of the head coach conjuring a quick-fix solution are remote. Rather than talk the talk and promote false optimism, he prefers to adopt a realistic approach. "The expectations are that we will be promoted back to the Championship, but I think there is more pain to come," said O'Driscoll, pictured, who succeeded the sacked McInnes in January. "There has been a lot of pain already and it may not be over. "Everyone wants to do well and we want to get in the Championship, but then we also want to create a pathway for young players to come through the academy and get a chance in the first team. That takes time and I'm afraid there will be ups and downs along the way. Everyone in football knows that it won't always be plain sailing. "You have to ask yourself, do you want to get promoted straight away or do you want to promote from within and build something that will last? I don't think you can manage expectations â you can only tell people what you are trying to do and hope they understand." Relegated from the Premier League to League One in the space of two seasons, Wolves have been installed as short-priced favourites to win automatic promotion back to the Championship. While Molineux regulars will expect new boss Kenny Jackett to deliver at the first time of asking, O'Driscoll insists City find themselves in an altogether different situation. He said: "Wolves will have to get promoted. They have come straight down from the Premier League to League One and it is no good their manager saying he is going to do this and he is going to do that. Their supporters will expect them to go straight back up. "Because Bristol City wants to change the way it is run and build something that is more sustainable, it is different. "If you can win a few games and get a bit of confidence, then it will make things easier. If you don't then supporters will moan and there will be pressure." Read more: http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/story-19281875-detail/story.html?#ixzz2WBOp10EZ
The stark facts are that 80% of the playing wages budget is taken up by the 14 still under contract - we have to try to move some of these on - this is easier said than done as who will match their current wages. There is no quick fix here - we have to do what is necessary to secure the long-term prospects of our club.
No need to be sorry he does make sense Like I said elsewhere in order for us to be successful this season he has to do what our last 3 managers failed to do get this underperforming bunch playing football. (I exclude Kelly,Cunningham,Moloney and Albert from this they looked like they were prepared to try at least) but Kilkenny, Fontaine, Pearson, Davies and Baldock didn't get anywhere near to what we would have expected the latter two as with Stead and Taylor have the excuse of injuries affecting them but the other 3 No I won't get started on them again.
I feel sorry for SOD in this situation. He has little to work with, and while the fans want to be back in the Championship I think he knows that it'll be a big ask to get a team that was League 1 at best for the past two years. The biggest question that the fans should be asking is why isn't the budget higher for a proven manager like SOD to rebuild his team. Naturally, we're suffering financial constraints in League 1, but in this case why haven't the board been able to improve turnover?
Naturally, we're suffering financial constraints in League 1, but in this case why haven't the board been able to improve turnover? There is little they can do in all honesty the Football league is very strict on what you can and can not do in regards to increasing turnover and are prepared to punish any clubs they see trying to circumvent the system. I have spent parts of the last 3 days trying to find ways round it but as yet I haven't, though there is one way the club could be helped, but not by anyone currently involved with the club, and that would be if someone not involved with the club offered to buy out contracts so that players not wanted could leave on a free with no financial penalty to the club leaving them able to bring in extra players without then breaching the 60% wage cap but where are you going to find a multi multi millionaire not involved with the club to do this? Any super big Jackpot Lottery winners out there? Mind you if I'm lucky tonight things might change next week.
Sensible words from SOD, and the 14 current players taking up over 80% of the playing budget is naturally going to make it difficult to improve the squad by much unless at least 2-3 of the high earners can be moved on. So we as supporters have to be patient, as does SOD, and hope that some will leave in July and Aug and free up money in time to bring in some of what we need. But whatever squad we're left with on 1 Sept, SOD MUST use his man management skills to a/motivate the squad to give 100% and b/play more effective football. I think a lot of us would be more forgiving if we saw that every player was giving 100% on the pitch, even if we didn't always get the result. The depressing thing about last season (and most of you saw more games than I did so you'll know better than I) was how many players so often just didn't look that bothered. SOD will have a pre-season to motivate and work on style and shape, so we HAVE to see some improvement from August, and I think we will. Obviously the goal has to be top 2, but realistically, given the rebuilding job SOD is facing, if you offered me a 6th place finish right now I'd bite your hand off.
I would imagine the top 5 earners will be Baldock, Davies, Elliott, Albert and Killkenny. so if the club could sell all 5 and get replacements in the balance will look a lot better. Stead was apparently our top earner last season on over £12k so least that has saved us money him going.
For me Davies,Baldock,Adomah just looked like they were going through the motions."hope they are all gone come the season start" Elliott battled,Kilkenny with the useless players around him could not muster up any forward momentum.
Hang on a sec. If we are retaining Davies, Baldock, Adomah and Elliot, plus a fit Cunningham, Ryan Taylor, Liam Kelly, Louis etc, Flint is half decent and we sign a keeper, then IMO we've every right to expect to be there or there abouts ?????????????? Anything below the top 6 with all those players will be abject failure.
Our Best Moloney Cunningham Adomah Kelly Baldock Davies Good enough for league 1 Flint Fontaine Elliott Anderson Taylor Maybes Kilkenny Wynter Bryan Reid Burns Then the rest Id say we now need 1 more CB, Either a good L2 one or a Premier league one such as Derrick Williams. A proven GK which from the sounds of it we shall get. Another winger and a creative Midfielder then we should be challenging for a top 6 finish and if we don't get it then SOD has failed IMO, Sounds like he is making excuses for if it goes tits up..... BUT i honestly don't think it will, I think SOD will get it right and we will be up there come the end of the season! YOU REDS
With the players he's retained and the two good new additions, we as fans have got every right to expect some success, if we are offered a load of crap then SOD's to blame.. It's no good asking for us to lower our expectancy, we want to win, I still want and expect SOD to succeed, 10 games will give us an idea...
We all know that there is a difficult task ahead but to hear what I consider to be negative comments right now concerns me. Sean has a very difficult task on his hands because previous regimes, fully backed by the board, didn't have a clue what they were doing and worst of all the boards allowed it to continue. Going back to brief time that Coppell was at Ashton Gate and I saw his body language during his first interview, then I knew that there was something seriously wrong with the set up at Bristol City and when he left I think I knew for sure that we faced major problems going forward. My thoughts unfortunately came to fruition but if you look back at how many years ago that happened I ask why did the board not act positively when the time was right. Yes we will hear about the losses but at that time they were not that bad and the right manager and the right spending could have put us in a much different place than we are right now. The board have been saying during those years that they needed to reduce the wages and the number of players on staff and yet nothing was really done to change the situation. The only thing we can do now is wait and hope that Sean can address the problems but with his words of today I am starting to wonder if it is workable. Obviously players have to go and I wonder how many of them realise that they are, and were, part of the problem and if they are staying because no-one else will take them will they wake up and realise that they owe us big time. Moving on for them, and us, is certainly the best for both parties but like the players we are supposed to be signing I am concerned that the rumour mill seems to be telling porkies. Time is running down to the start of next season and we need to be prepared and running at the first whistle so let's wish Sean good luck in his endeavours and hope that all the news coming out of Ashton Gate is positive and we can start afresh.
Sorry guys he makes sence ...EVEN MAKES SENSE............ or non sense, I have grave reservations about talking down our potential...so we sit in div 1 for a year or 2 get a quality team, then get promo so we, then need a team to compete in the Championship! I think we may have the basis for a reasonable Championship team, had we not lost our last 4 games we would still be in the Championship........possibly got rid of who we did, still had Heaton. DOES HE NOT WISH TO HAVE A TEAM MID WAY IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP, AND BUILD FROM THERE? in favour of developing youngsters who would come through the academy in any case...losing the will to live or willingness to support comes to mind.................
Need cheering up............... John and Bob were inseparable childhood friends. One night, they both died in a terrible car accident. When John woke up in heaven, he began to search for Bob but could not find him anywhere. Very distraught, he ran to St. Peter and said, "St. Peter, I know Bob was killed in that accident with me, but I can't find him!" St. Peter said, "My son, I am sorry to tell you Bob didn't make it to Heaven." This upset John so much that St. Peter agreed to let him see Bob one more time. St. Peter parted the clouds and John saw Bob sitting in hell with a keg on one side and a beautiful buxom blonde on the other. John looked at St. Peter sceptically and said, "Are you sure I'm in the right place?" "My son," St. Peter said, "looks can be deceiving. You see that keg of beer? It has a hole in it. You see that woman? She doesn't!"
Don't feel too sorry for him - he knew what the situation was before he took the job - in fact the plan to fix it was something he wanted to be in place before he said yes
****ing hell this is coming from the poster that says if we don't achieve promotion it will be disastrous and making countless threads about SoD don't want to hang round in league one etc . You really can't make your mind up can you
I very much doubt we will have a lot of those players this coming season Adomah, Cunningham and apparently Davies and Baldock have a lot of admirers so they could be off and the more players we have to bring in the longer it could take for them to gel as a team, Plus we still have Kilkenny who isn't a player who looks like he will prosper in L1 he'll spend half the game moaning at the ref cos skillful players like him need protection from the rough boys in L1 and unless Fontaine has a complete mental turn about he will just get brushed aside by any player that feels like having a run at him. These two at least we need to replace with players with some skill that can be developed but some steel in them unless of course they are given an almighty kick up the behind and here is the operative bit respond to it. I have always thought that the reason clubs in L1 and L2 decided to go the 60% rule was simple it made it harder for clubs relegated from the division above to reorganise their teams to make an effective challenge for an immediate return, This does not apply to clubs that yoyo between the divisions frequently as they have usually planned for it. This also does not apply to Wolves who still have those massive parachute payments from the Premier league 23 million I think it has gone up to this year so even ignoring any other revenue generated they start with a guarenteed 13.8 Million to spend on this years wages.
